Depending on your taste level, the nuptials of Michael Cole Smith and Jamil Smith Cole were either fabulous, or gauche. But that’s none of our concern: Two men just got happily married in an extravagant ceremony! Let us be joyous for them! Except: Then the photos from the Sept. 13 wedding in Minneapolis (where, to be sure, gay marriage isn’t recognized) made their way into the email accounts of staffers at Morehouse College President Robert Franklin’s office, and the social commentary began.

Just like they were on Dlisted, the photos (originally uploaded to the couple’s Facebook profiles) were passed around between Sandra Bradley, an administrative assistant, and a coworker. And the commentary wasn’t so nice: “I can’t believe this wedding. It’s 2 men. They don’t smile in a lot of pictures and they look like a few brothers I’ve seen in the streets looking STRAGHT. Black women can’t get a break, either our men want another man, a white woman (or other nationality that’s light with straight hair), they are locked up in jail or have a “use to be” fatal disease. I’m beginning to believe Eve was a black woman and we Black women are paying for all the world’s sins through her actions (eating the apple).”

From there, the daisy chain made its way to Fulton County government employees, and then to the newspaper Southern Voice, which inquired with Morehouse’s Franklin. The college president, who runs the all-male HBCU (that’s “historically black college/university”), said they “are investigating and will take appropriate and prompt action.” And now: Bradley has been fired.

Which is good to hear, because really, discussing the quality of your gaydar isn’t exactly fit for your work email account. But at the same time, we understand the pain of Ms. Bradley, who made the comments about the photos. Straight black women do have it bad! Good black men can be hard to find!

Just don’t hate on the gays ’cause god makes us so pretty, ok? And when it’s your turn to have a fabulous wedding, we hope you’ll invite us. Because hell, we like including the sisters in our ceremonies, too!

(Franklin says in a statement: “It is my sincere hope that the gay and lesbian community, and most specifically Michael Cole Smith and Jamil Smith Cole—whose wedding photographs became the subject of an unkind and intolerant email sent and forwarded by a Morehouse College employee—will accept my official apology on behalf of the College community.”)

A gay wedding with no men other the the grooms in the weeding party. Looks very odd to me.

Oct 2, 2009 at 12:56 pm · @Reply ·

javier

One of the grooms is hot. The other one is not.

Oct 2, 2009 at 12:59 pm · @Reply ·

jojococoa

they didn’t say anything THAT bad. not worth getting fired for at least.

Oct 2, 2009 at 1:18 pm · @Reply ·

Jason

Poor, poor Sandra Bradley. Not only is she discriminated against for her blackness, but now she is discriminated against because of her homophobia.

Her life seems fucked to me. Perhaps she should just end it.

Oct 2, 2009 at 1:21 pm · @Reply ·

javier

She also denounced interracial relationships.

Oct 2, 2009 at 1:38 pm · @Reply ·

tavdy79

Aaargh! My eyes! What have you done to my eyes?

Oct 2, 2009 at 1:41 pm · @Reply ·

eenrev

Give me a break, you wannabe pretty-boy trolls making these petty remarks about two of our brothers. Instead of passing judgment on looks and whos’ in the wedding party, celebrate their union, and their courage to honor each other in this way. The story is not so much about them, it’s about using a university email account to spread homophobia. Get it? And yes, the bitch who spewed her hatred (which is what it is) should have been fired. Praise to the university president for taking the stand that he did.

Oct 2, 2009 at 2:11 pm · @Reply ·

Cam

A great part of this that is being missed is that many people after the Prop 8 situation in CA. were basically saying that the entire black community hated gays etc… I think that it should be a very pleasent revelation to those people that Morehouse college is one of the top historically black colleges in the country. They investigated and jumped on this situation immidiately. Here is some more of the PResident of the colleges statement from the article link.

“Morehouse College—the institution where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of our nation’s premier champions of human and civil rights, was nurtured—has a history of promoting tolerance and inclusion for all people. Remarks such as the ones made in the e-mail were counter to Dr. King’s—and the College’s—core values and will not be tolerated from any Morehouse employee or student. Effective September 30, the employee who made the offensive comments is no longer working for the College. ”

I think it’s great that this guy is president of this school and is teaching these values.

Oct 2, 2009 at 3:14 pm · @Reply ·

Hal Shipman

I have to admit, from the headline, I was thinking it was one of the guys that lost their job.

Is the shorter guy wearing some kind of formal Dashiki?
I have honestly seen any piece of clothing quite like this. I think the double french cuff (jacket and shirt) may put it over the top though.

Oct 2, 2009 at 9:52 pm · @Reply ·

GirlyQ

Good for Morehouse. Whenever anyone tells me that African-American communities are always homophobic, I will point them to this. I think it is wonderful, and shows that being a homophobic twit gets you nowhere.

Oct 2, 2009 at 10:16 pm · @Reply ·

BobP

That outfit should be illegal.

Oct 2, 2009 at 10:17 pm · @Reply ·

Joey

“they look like a few brothers I’ve seen in the streets looking STRAGHT”

Straight? You have GOT to be kidding. He looks like an ad for Dark and Lovely hair relaxer.

Oct 2, 2009 at 11:51 pm · @Reply ·

Rikard

I may cringe at their taste, but these men make me proud. if it’s what you want go for it.

Oct 3, 2009 at 2:52 am · @Reply ·

Paul

I also expected to read that one of the ‘brothers’ were fired. This is a great story and everyone reading it should drop Morehouse College President Franklin a big thank you note for standing up against homophobia as well as the other rants in the womens email against biracial couples, etc.

I can still smile at some of the silly remarks made here, but really guys, please take some of that wit of yours and put it to some constructive use by sending Mr. Franklin a thank you letter…..

Oct 3, 2009 at 12:13 pm · @Reply ·

andy11

They look great in each other’s eyes and that is all that matters. Congrats to them and many happy years together.

Oct 3, 2009 at 2:31 pm · @Reply ·

Rick

They are serving it and all the haters can go hate on something else.

Oct 3, 2009 at 6:34 pm · @Reply ·

Trevez

Congrats to them. Looking at the other photos on Media Take Out, there were bridesmaids and groomsmen.Its a great spin at a “traditional” wedding. They should ignore the haters.

Oct 3, 2009 at 6:34 pm · @Reply ·

John from England(used to be just John but there are other John's)

Who cares about taste? Thats just petty. Good for them! How amazing and inspirational.

Come now people. It is their wedding and they can go as far over the top as they please…because…IT IS THEIR WEDDING! Their tastes may be different from yours, but I am sure they had a great day. Weddings can be big and small and we are only seeing just some of the pictures of that day.

As for the gossip queen, she stepped over the line when she started circulating the photos with her personal opinions which got passed on to other people and then further on down the line. Sure, if she passed on the photos and giving her congrats, she wouldn’t have crossed the line into the gossip realm. Work email is essentially that…for work.

Oct 4, 2009 at 8:58 am · @Reply ·

Greg Theron

*Yawn* This wedding looks boring.

Oct 5, 2009 at 5:28 am · @Reply ·

dontblamemeivotedforhillary

Sandra Bradley doesn’t wear condoms with effeminate straight men judging by her fears or she’s too ugly for sex. Period.

you are guys brave. I like your wedding party! Wish you all the best and love forever(it’s hard, but try)
Los Angeles.

Oct 12, 2009 at 12:15 am · @Reply ·

Heather

This is what I wanted to see when gay people started getting married. Straight people have tacky, loud weddings–why shouldn’t gay people? The cuffs on that one guys’ outfit are a bit much, but fit in the overall theme. Love it.

Something I still don’t understand. At this point, after countless stories of people getting fired for using their work e-mail for inappropriate things, why do folks keep doing it? Gmail, yahoo etc. are free. You can access them with any web browser. Any person with the sense God gave a goose would use one of those for personal email. This twit was stupid and good on Morehouse for firing her.

Oct 13, 2009 at 3:33 pm · @Reply ·

Erich

For all of you making mean and catty comments about these two gentlemen, you do realize you’re the same as the woman who got fired right? How the hell are we supposed to get straight people to accept us if we can’t accept the fact that gay people come in all shapes, sizes, colors and backgrounds?